The Emerald Queen Casino has pulled the plug on Ted Nugent concerts scheduled for August 2nd and 3rd, citing what it calls the rock musician’s history of racist remarks as well as strong pressure from the public. It marks the first time the casino showroom, operated by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, has canceled a show because of a performer’s negative persona, said tribal spokesman John Weymer.

The decision to cancel was made Thursday “at a great deal of expense to the casino, because we have to pay his contract,” Weymer said.

Tribal leaders had grown tired of Nugent’s outrageous conduct and were ready to cut ties with the singer and guitarist, whose success on the record charts peaked in the late 1970s.

“About a month ago, our tribal council decided that it would not book him any further based on his racist comments,” Weymer said. “We've been getting a lot of pressure from some activist groups, a lot of phone calls, a lot of concerns.

“The tribe, which has lived with racism for decades if not several hundreds of years, was sensitive to this and decided the casino was not a proper venue for his views.”